Knitting Needle for Knitting Game

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a knitting needle ( 1 ) for a knitting game for making knitted products having a round cross section with a first leg ( 3 ) extending rigidly from a rigid shaft section ( 2 ) in a first direction of extent ( 5 ) to a first free end ( 6 ) suitable for taking up stitches and a second leg ( 4 ) extending from the rigid shaft section ( 2 ) rigidly in a second direction of extent ( 7 ) to a second free end ( 8 ) suitable for taking up stitches, whereby the center of gravity ( 10 ) of the knitting needle ( 1 ) is arranged within the shaft section ( 2 ) and whereby the first direction of extent ( 5 ) and the second direction of extent ( 7 ) form an angle ( 9 ) relative to one another of at least 37° and less than 60°.

The present invention relates to a knitting needle for a knitting game for making knitted products having a round cross section with a first leg rigidly extending from a rigid shaft section in a first direction of extent to a first free end suitable for receiving stitches and a second leg rigidly extending from the rigid shaft section in a second direction of extent to a second free end suitable for receiving stitches, whereby the center of gravity is located within the shaft portion of the knitting needle.

For knitting knitted products with a round cross section, in which the diameter of the cross section is relatively large, for example, pullovers, round knitting needles are used, in which leg-like sections are connected to one another with the free ends of the round knitting needle via a flexible nylon cable. All stitches are located usually while knitting on the round knitting needle.

For knitting of knitted products having a smaller diameter of the round cross section, a knitting game comprising five needles with the above-noted features is used, whereby the rigidly formed needles run in a straight line from their first free end to their second free end via the central shaft section. For knitting a shaft area of a sock, for example, the stitches are first uniformly distributed on four of the five needles. The stitches of the first needle guiding the end stitch are then knitted completely onto the free fifth needle by forming a new such. Thereafter, the stitches located on the second needle are completed knitted onto the free first needle, and so on. For knitting of a circular shape, the needles must be exchanged four times. The appropriate number of circular shapes must be knitted until the knitting job has achieved the desired length.

A disadvantage associated with this type of knitting game is that the needles located within a circular shape must be exchanged four times for casting off. In this connection, it is difficult with this type of knitting game to make knitted products with a round cross section having a very small diameter.

With another type of knitting for forming a cable or plait pattern, auxiliary needles are known, which take up the resting stitches. The actual knitted product would be made, for example, with a round knitting needle. For forming the cable or plait pattern, several consecutive stitches located on the first free end of the round knitting needle are not cast off temporarily from the second end of the round knitting needle, but are held in place on the auxiliary needle designated also as a plait or cable knitting needle. After the successive stitches are cast onto the first free end from the second end, the first held stitches are cast off from the second end of the round knitting needle. For forming the cable pattern in a knitted product made by the round knitting needle, a type of cable knitting needle is indeed required as the auxiliary needle. A cable or plait-pattern knitting needle that relates back to the Applicant is described, for example, in WO 2012/167863, whereby with the structure of the plait-pattern knitting needle described there, it is ensured that the stitches held on the cable or plait-pattern knitting needle do not slide off. The leg of this cable or plate pattern knitting needle ideally has an angle of approximately 90°.

The object of the present invention is to resolve the problems illustrated relating to the state of the art and in particular, to provide knitting needles for a knitting game, wherein the knitting needles must be changed less frequently when knitting knitted products having a round cross section and with which, in particular, knitted products with minimal diameter of the round cross section can be made simply. In this regard, it is an object of the present invention that the stitches do not slide off the knitting needle so easily during knitting and/or after a pause in knitting.

These objects are solved by a knitting needle with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further embodiments of the knitting needle are provided in the dependent claims and the description, whereby features of the advantageous further embodiments may be combined with one another in any technologically sensible manner.

These objects are solved by a knitting needle with the above-noted features, whereby the first direction of extent and the second direction of extent have an angle relative to one another of at least 37° and less than 60°.

With the inventive angle formed between the knitting needle legs, it is possible that a knitted product with a round cross section can be made, in particular, with only three knitting needles. The stitches are first distributed with half of the stitches on each of two needles and then cast off in a known manner alternatingly using the third knitting needle, whereby the knitting needles must be changed much less often. By using the inventive angle, the legs of two knitting needles can be oriented relative to one another, such that the stitches guided on the knitting needle are arranged approximately in a circle respective to the cross section of the later knitted products. By means of the angle, furthermore, the knitted article is prevented from being tensioned or taut, and thus, further casting off is made difficult and indeed prevented. In addition, knitted products with smaller diameter can be much more easily made. Compared to straight needles known to be used for a knitting game, the further advantage is provided that the stitches cannot so easily slide off of the knitting needle during knitting and/or after a pause in knitting

With the location of the center of gravity of the knitting needle within the shaft section, it is particularly intended that the knitting needle is balanced and both legs are arranged to be balanced relative to one another. Thus, it is intended in particular that the centers of mass of the legs are formed symmetrically to the central shaft section and are the same amount. The center of gravity in the simplest embodiment is arranged in the region of the maximum bending of the shaft section, but is not limited thereto. By the arrangement of the center of gravity in the shaft section, both legs can be materially independent from one another or also have different lengths or cross sections, and thus, a material independence and/or length independence from one another is achieved.

On the other hand, it was shown that a knitting needle with an angle formed between its legs of between 37° and 60° only can be used unsatisfactorily as an auxiliary needle for forming a plait or cable pattern, since during casting off from the auxiliary needle, the relatively few stitches held or resting on the auxiliary needle only can be shifted with substantial effort over the shaft section. With an angle of 90° between the knitting needle legs, however, the user's hand that is holding one of the legs must perform a relatively large compensation motion, whereby the fluid knitting process is disturbed with only a temporary uptake of the resting or held stitches. Upon casting off from the cable knitting needle with a small angle between the legs, in addition, the unused leg is contacted with the fingers, whereby the stitch return is impeded.

Preferably, the first direction of extent and the second direction of extent have an angle between 40° and 55°, particularly preferably between 45° and 50° . It was determined that an angle of 48° is particularly well suited for a knitting game.

In the present invention, the direction of extent of the respective leg relates in particular to its longitudinal direction.

With an advantageous embodiment, the shaft section and/or both legs have a cylindrical cross section, whereby the free ends of the two legs are formed to taper outwardly in their cross section. Preferably, the free ends are formed as rounded tips. This is advantageous, since the uptake of stitches during the knitting process is simplified and also tightly knitted stitches can be further knitted. The cylindrical cross section provides for a simple and low-wear guiding of stitches during the knitting process. The interior of the shaft section and/or both legs and/or the free ends can be hollow, solid or also a combination thereof. Of course, the cross section of the knitting needle according to the present invention is not limited to a round cross section, but also can be broadened to include further forms.

In addition, it is also contemplated that a region of at least one leg is formed with its outwardly oriented free end to be bent inwardly or outwardly. This is advantageous, since in this manner, the yarn is more easily able to be taken up and knitted. Thus, it is not necessary that the leg runs in a straight line along its direction of extent. The leg therefore also can run bent or curved relative to its respective direction of extent, whereby the direction of extent of a leg, then, is determined in particular by a straight line running from the free end of the leg to the transition point of the leg in the shaft section.

Preferably, the cross sections of the shaft section and both legs are round. With this embodiment, the cross section has a size of 0.5 to 30 mm, preferably from 1 to 20 mm, more preferably from 1 to 10 mm, and most preferably from 2 to 7 mm. The cross section thereby corresponds to the needle size or thickness.

With a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the knitting needle is formed as one piece. This is advantageous, since in this manner, no interruptions, for example, in the form of edges, impair the quality of the knitted product.

With a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, both legs with their free ends are substantially the same length and have, respectively, preferably a length of 5 cm to 25 cm and particularly preferably, a length of 5 cm to 12 cm, and most preferably, a length of 9 cm.

In the simplest case, the shaft section has a continuous cross section, for example, round or oval. Furthermore, it is also contemplated, however, that the shaft section has two or more cross sections that differ from one another and thus, represents the transition region from a thin, first leg into a second, thick leg.

With a further advantageous embodiment, the shaft section and/or at least one of the two legs, preferably both, and/or its respective free end comprise natural and/or synthetic materials.

Preferably, the materials are selected from the group consisting of wood, horn, metal, in particular, aluminum, plastic, bamboo, composite material and/or a combination of these materials. This is advantageous since the knitting needle is universally useable and is not limited by the material to be knitted.

Preferably, the first leg and the second leg have the same weight. This is advantageous, since then the knitting needle is balanced and the stitches held on the needles do not slide off.

Advantageous embodiments are provided in the attached drawings. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the knitting needle; and

FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the knitting needle.

FIG. 1 shows a knitting needle 1 according to the present invention in its simplest embodiment. The shaft section 2 is bent or curved. Both legs connected thereto have a round cross section, like the shaft section 2. Furthermore, it is also contemplated that the cross section can be formed with a cross section that is not round, for example, ellipsoidal. The first leg 3 extends in a first direction of extent 5 and is rounded on its first free end 6, in order to avoid a risk of injury while knitting. The second leg 4 extends in a second direction of extent and is likewise rounded on its second free end 8.

The first and second directions of extent 5 and 7 form an angle relative to one another of approximately 48°. If stitches are taken up in the knitting process, for example, with the first free end 6, then these stitches can be shifted over the first leg 3 and the shaft section 2 to the second leg 4.

The center of gravity 10 of the knitting needle 1 is positioned in the region of the shaft section 2, so that a balancing takes place, such that the first leg 3 and the second leg 4 are balanced relative to one another, originating at the center of gravity 10. In the simplest embodiment, the center of gravity 10 is disposed in the bend or curved region, most preferably in the region of the maximum bending of the shaft section 2. In addition, it is also contemplated that the center of gravity 10 is arranged anywhere within the shaft section 2, for example, more in the direction of extent 5 of the first leg 3.

The embodiment of the knitting needle 1 showed in FIG. 2 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1, in that the first leg 3 and the second leg 4 do not run in a straight line along the first direction of extent 5 or the second direction of extent 7. The first leg 3 is bent inwardly with its first free end 6, while the second leg 4 is bent outwardly with its second free end 8. The directions of extent 5. 7 are formed, respectively originating from the transition from the shaft section 2 to the respective leg 3, 4 by a straight line to the respective free end 6, 8. The angle 9 between the first direction of extent 5 and the second direction of extent 7 is approximately 50°.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

-   1 Knitting needle -   2 Shaft section -   3 first leg -   4 second leg -   5 first direction of extent -   6 first free end -   7 second direction of extent -   8 second free end -   9 angle -   10 center of gravity 

1-7. (canceled)
 8. A knitting needle (1) for a knitting game for making knitted products having a round cross section, comprising: a first leg (3) extending rigidly from a rigid shaft section (2) in a first direction of extent (5) to a first free end (6) and configured for taking up stitches; and a second leg (4) extending from the rigid shaft section (2) rigidly in a second direction of extent (7) to a second free end (8) suitable for taking up stitches, wherein a center of gravity (10) of the knitting needle (1) is disposed within the shaft section (2), wherein the first direction of extent (5) and the second direction of extent (7) form an angle (9) relative to one another of at least 37° and less than 60°.
 9. The knitting needle (1) according to claim 8, wherein the first direction of extent (5) and the second direction of extent (7) have an angle (9) relative to one another of between 40° and 55°.
 10. The knitting needle (1) according to claim 8, wherein the shaft section (2) is curved or bent.
 11. The knitting needle (1) according to claim 8, wherein the shaft section (1) and/or both legs (3, 4) have a cylindrical cross section, whereby the free ends (6, 8) are tapered outwardly in their cross sections.
 12. The knitting needle (1) according to claim 8, wherein the knitting needle is formed as one piece.
 13. The knitting needle (1) according to claim 8, wherein the first and second legs (3, 4) with their respective free ends (6, 8) have substantially the same length.
 14. The knitting needle (1) according to claim 13, wherein the first and second legs (3, 4) with their respective free ends (6, 8) have a length of, respectively, 5 cm to 25 cm.
 15. The knitting needle (1) according to claim 13, wherein the first and second legs (3, 4) with their respective free ends (6, 8) have a length of 5 cm to 12 cm.
 16. A knitting game for forming a knitted product with a round cross section, comprising two to four knitting needles (1) according to claim
 8. 17. The knitting game according to claim 16, comprising exactly three knitting needles (1) according to claim
 1. 